ANCHORAGE (AP)  Bill Lasher Jr. remembers what it felt like to go from being a jock in high school to being in a wheelchair.

Bill Lasher Jr. installs a stylized Boston Red Sox "B" on a wheelchair he designed with the help of his son, Colter.

By Al Grillo, AP

"When you're in high school, the whole time it is about being cool. It is hard to be cool when you are in a crappy wheelchair," said Lasher, who was paralyzed at 16 after being hit by a truck while skiing.

Twenty years later, Lasher is making cool wheelchairs — chairs that not only provide mobility but beg to be noticed. He founded Lasher Sport in March.

Lasher derives inspiration from the custom chopper and mountain-bike worlds. His designs take shape in a tidy warehouse here filled with tube cutters, drill presses, tube benders and welders.

"It used to be a chair was something you wanted to hide underneath you. This is a chair you can go out and be seen in," said Lasher, showing his BT Tribal model with flame-inspired metal cutouts and an anodized purple, teal, green and gold aluminum frame.

For Lasher, 37 and now a schoolteacher, the business has become also a mission to change the relationship disabled people have with their chairs. "My ultimate goal is to have someone wake up and say, 'Cool, there's my chair.' "

Bill Lundstrom, 31, a civil engineer from San Diego, got fed up with his off-the-shelf chair because the seat-back bolts kept falling off.

"One would go and I'd be nervous about the other one. If the other one goes, I could be a quad," said Lundstrom, paralyzed in a motorcycle accident in 2002.

Lundstrom said his Lasher chair "is a nice change of pace from the mass-produced wheelchairs that everybody gets because that's what insurance will pay for."

A typical mass-produced wheelchair sells for less than $2,000. Lasher Sport produces five models from $3,995 to more than $8,000, depending on options. Each is custom fitted to the customer.

Lasher Sport began with two chairs last spring: the BT, an ultralight chair with a clean design for everyday use, and the high-style BT Ballistic with an aluminum tube frame. A BT-G Tribal was rolled out last summer at the Abilities Expo in Anaheim, Calif. With metal cutouts, anodized finish and decorative foot rests, it was inspired in part by cable TV's American Chopper.

A baseball fan ordered a custom cutout of a Boston Red Sox stylized "B" in the side guards.

Lundstrom's chair has side guards showing a person in a wheelchair fishing; he started a non-profit to encourage disabled people to enjoy sports. He also hand-cycles, scuba dives and surfs. He says the Lasher chair "is more stable, it is a lot more rugged."

Brad White, 36, of Mason, Ohio, got a "W" cutout as part of his footrest and frame. His seat back is stitched with his favorite saying: "Live Love Laugh." Not bad for a man who has broken his back twice — snowmobiling in 1987 and jet skiing a couple of years ago.

White is so pleased with the Lasher chair that he bought two.

"It is lightweight. ... It spins on a dime and is the nicest-looking chair in terms of design and performance that I've ever used," said White, who sells securities and insurance. "I am in a high-profile job with highly compensated individuals. When I sit down with them, I use this chair, and everyone that looks at it says, 'Wow, that's slick.' "

Lasher Sport introduced two new models for winter use. The BT-Trail has a wider caster stance in the front, with the front casters in line with the foot rest to create a longer wheelbase and provide greater stability. In short, the chair helps avoid the "face plant," according to the company's website.

The BT-ATB (All Terrain Beast) has oversized, 12-inch wheels in front and mountain-bike tires on the back. It's heavy, at 28.5 pounds, but stands up to off-road use. Disc brakes are a $1,000 option.

The finish on the BT-ATB in the showroom looks metallic black indoors but takes on a rainbow effect outdoors. Says Lasher: "Obviously, it is a mobility device first and foremost, but it can look nice."

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